Knights, Spirit, Steelheads and 67’s included in Week 3 edition of CHL Top 10 Rankings

The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) announced today the Week 3 edition of its CHL Top-10 Rankings for the 2023-24 season.

Riding a CHL-best six-game winning streak, the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL) remain in first place for a second straight week. The London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) traded places with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) to grab second, while Halifax fell a spot to third.

With the best winning percentage of any CHL club (.875) and an OHL-best seven wins, the Mississauga Steelheads of the OHL are making their Top-10 debut at No. 9. While, the Ottawa 67’s of the OHL, who have allowed just 15 goals this season, rounded out the Top-10 in tenth.

The next rankings will be released the week of October 23, following the fourth week of regular season action in all three member leagues of the CHL.

CHL Top-10 Rankings – Week 3

1. Portland Winterhawks (WHL): Not only did Portland (6-1-0-0) extend its CHL-best winning streak to six games, they did so in a big way this week by defeating the Kamloops Blazers and Tri-City Americans by a combined score of 11-1. Leading the way offensively for the Winterhawks was 20-year-old James Stefan, who registered five points (3G-2A in two games) this past week, while San Jose Sharks prospect Luca Cagnoni (1G-2A in two games) was one of seven Portland skaters who registered a multi-point outing this weekend. In net, Portland’s Jan Špunar continued his strong play as he was recognized as the WHL Goaltender of the Week on Monday. The 19-year-old netminder stopped 48 of the 49 shots he faced against Kamloops and Tri-City, which included a 22-save performance against the Americans for his first career WHL shutout. Špunar is now a perfect 5-0-0-0 on the season and he leads the CHL in both GAA (1.00) and SV% (.963). With two games this week, Špunar and the Winterhawks will look to defeat the Wheat Kings and Silvertips to remain unbeaten since September 23.

Games this week: vs. Brandon (Oct. 18), @ Everett (Oct. 21)

2. London Knights (OHL): Despite falling to the Sarnia Sting 5-3 on the tail end of a back-to-back this weekend, the Knights (5-2-0-1) still managed to win a pair of games over the last seven days all while welcoming back Toronto Maple Leafs 2023 first-round pick Easton Cowan. In his first three games back in the lineup, Cowan registered a point in all three contests, including a pair of points against the Frontenacs (1G-1A) and the Sting (0G-2A). Philadelphia Flyers prospect Denver Barkey also continued his hot start to the season by notching a fourth consecutive multi-point game on Saturday, the latter of which saw him tally his first career OHL hat-trick against the Sting. Barkey now has seven goals over his last four games and his 13 points this season place him among the leaders in the OHL. Among the three games London has on the schedule this week, they will cap off things off in Saginaw with a date against the No.7-ranked Spirit on Sunday.

Games this week: @ Brantford (Oct. 18), vs. Erie (Oct. 20), @ Saginaw (Oct. 22)

3. Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL): Although they managed to score an impressive 3-2 road win in overtime against Baie-Comeau, a game that was featured on RDS.ca, the Mooseheads (6-3-1-0) dropped a pair of close games to Chicoutimi (in overtime) and Rimouski to close out their three-game road trip. They continued to get excellent goaltending from netminder Mathis Rousseau, who stopped 61 of the 66 shots he faced this week, ultimately posting a 2.50 GAA and .924 SV% over his two starts. Meanwhile, Vegas Golden Knights prospect Mathieu Cataford didn’t tally a point in the Mooseheads’ win against the Drakkar, but he did register three points (1G-2A) in Halifax’s two other contests this week. He now has points in seven of eight games this season, giving him a team-leading 13 points (4G-9A) on the year. As the Mooseheads look ahead to this week, they’ll hope a return to home ice in Halifax will help them as they prepare to face No.6-ranked Rouyn-Noranda and a previously ranked Top-10 team in Val-d’Or.

Games this week: vs. Rouyn-Noranda (Oct. 20), vs. Val-d’Or (Oct. 21)

4. Saskatoon Blades (WHL): Outside of the Winterhawks, the Blades (7-2-0-0) are arguably the hottest team in the CHL, having won five in a row – one shy of Portland’s CHL-best six-game winning streak. Helping to lead Saskatoon to three wins over the last week were some of their best and brightest players, including captain Trevor Wong (eight-game point streak; 2G-3A in last three games), Anaheim Ducks prospect Egor Sidorov (has a point in all seven of his games this season; 3G-1A in last three games), and Nashville Predators 2023 first-round pick Tanner Molendyk (five-game point streak; 1G-4A in last three games). This week, the Blades will aim to extend their unbeaten streak when they face a tough Rebels team in Red Deer on Saturday.

Games this week: @ Red Deer (Oct. 21)

5. Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL): Although the Warriors (6-4-0-0) were able to avenge a loss to Lethbridge by defeating the Hurricanes 4-3 last Friday, they were doubled up the next night by the Prince Albert Raiders 6-3 on Saturday. In spite of the loss, Moose Jaw has still won six of their last eight, including two victories over the last seven days. During the past week, the Warriors were able to enjoy the return of captain and Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Denton Mateychuk, who has notched five assists in three games. Brayden Yager registered three multi-point outings this week, which gives the 2023 Pittsburgh Penguins first-rounder five multi-point games and 13 points (7G-6A) in seven games. Seattle Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus also continued his tear, notching his fourth and fifth multi-point games of the season this week, placing him at five goals and 10 assists on the year. This week, Moose Jaw will seek to avenge another one of their losses when they square off against the Raiders at the Art Hauser Centre in Prince Albert this weekend.

Games this week: vs. Regina (Oct. 17), @ Prince Albert (Oct. 21)

6. Rouyn-Noranda Huskies (QMJHL): Following an up-and-down road trip, the Huskies (5-2-1-2) bounced back nicely over the last seven days thanks to a pair of wins at home against the Cape Breton Eagles and Saint John Sea Dogs. The victories have now placed Rouyn-Noranda among a collection of six QMJHL teams (including Halifax) who sit at 13 points, just three shy of league-leaders Baie Comeau. A big part of their success this week came thanks to goalie and Memorial Cup champion William Rousseau, who stopped 80-of-82 shots this week, which was good for a 1.00 GAA and a .976 SV%. Part of the latter included an impressive 39-save shutout against the Sea Dogs on Sunday. At the same time, Seattle Kraken prospect Andrei Loshko now has points in four of his last six games, which included four points (1G-3A) this weekend. 2025 NHL Draft prospect Bill Zonnon snapped a three-game pointless streak by tallying a point in both Huskies’ wins, while Antonin Verreault continues to pace the team with 12 points (4G-8A) this season. By tallying a point in both games this weekend, Verreault now has points in eight of ten games this season. As they look ahead to their schedule this week, the Huskies will no doubt be reliant on these players and more during what will be another challenging road trip, which will be highlighted by a showdown against No. 3-ranked Halifax on Friday.

Games this week: @ Charlottetown (Oct. 19), @ Halifax (Oct. 20), @ Cape Breton (Oct. 22)

7. Saginaw Spirit (OHL): Despite winning the CHL Game of the Week last Wednesday against their in-state rivals, the Saginaw Spirit (3-3-0-0) had a rough end to the week, having dropped their next two games. The first was a 6-4 loss to the Oshawa Generals, just a day before they fell to the OHL-leading Mississauga Steelheads 4-3. During the latter, Saginaw was forced to play without 2025 NHL Draft prospect Michael Misa, who missed Saturday’s action in Mississauga with an injury. Despite his absence and this week’s pair of losses, the Spirit has continued to enjoy production from defenceman and 2024 NHL Draft prospect Zayne Parekh, who extended his point streak to four games (1G-7A) on Saturday. Parekh’s 10 points (1G-9A) this season place him in a tie for second among OHL defencemen so far in this newest campaign. As they aim to get above .500 on the season, the Spirit will no doubt rely on Parekh and hope for Misa’s return as they prepare to welcome the No.2-ranked London Knights on the tail end of a back-to-back this Sunday.

Games this week: @ Windsor (Oct. 21), vs. London (Oct. 22) 

8. Prince George Cougars (WHL): With seven wins early on in this newest season, the Cougars (7-3-0-0) are one of just four clubs in the CHL (including Saskatoon, Mississauga, Baie-Comeau) to achieve the feat. This past week, the Cougars started things off by winning narrowly against Swift Current 2-1 thanks to goals from Los Angeles Kings prospect Koehn Ziemmer and 20-year-old right winger Zac Funk along with a spectacular 37-save performance from Ty Young. Although two nights later they got a pair of multi-point games from both Ziemmer and Funk, Prince George fell 5-4 to a Kelowna Rockets team that has averaged five goals a game over its last four contests. Funk, thanks to his efforts this past week, now leads the CHL with 21 points (10G-11A) in 10 games this season. This weekend, the Cougars will have their hands full once again, especially when welcoming on Sunday the Medicine Hat Tigers and their sensational 15-year-old Gavin McKenna, who already has 14 points (5G-9A) in just eight games this season.

Games this week: vs. Kamloops (Oct. 21), vs. Medicine Hat (Oct. 22)

9. Mississauga Steelheads (OHL): It has been an unbelievable start to the season for the Steelheads (7-1-0-0) along with 2024 NHL Draft prospects Ryerson Leenders and Luke Misa. Following a week that saw Mississauga win three games in three days, including an impressive 4-3 victory over the now No.7-ranked Saginaw Spirit, the Steelheads have quietly become one of the hottest teams in the Canadian Hockey League by matching a CHL-best seven wins and holding the best winning percentage of any club in the CHL (.875). Their success can be attributed to many on their roster, but notably Leenders and Misa, who have both led their respective positions in terms of goaltending and scoring. First, Leenders has won all six of his starts this season. The 17-year-old goalie has also registered an OHL-best 1.67 GAA and .952 SV%, the latter placing him second in the CHL behind only Jan Špunar (.963). Meanwhile, Misa has grabbed a share of the OHL scoring lead with 14 points (6G-8A). He managed the feat by recording three assists against the Spirit before tallying five points, which included his first career OHL hat trick, one day later against the Otters. This week, Mississauga will no doubt need both Leenders and Misa to be at the top of their game when they face tough challenges in Sudbury, Kitchener, and North Bay, the latter of which will be on TSN+ on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET.

Games this week: @ Sudbury (Oct. 18), @ North Bay (Oct. 19), vs. Kitchener (Oct. 21)

10. Ottawa 67’s (OHL): Tasked with facing two teams ranked in the CHL Top-10 (Soo Greyhounds & North Bay Battalion), let alone another who has previously found its way to this list this season (Sudbury Wolves), the 67’s (4-2-0-0) made a statement this week by sweeping all three of those matchups on the road. To start things off, they bested the Battalion 4-2, becoming the first team to pot three goals this season against Winnipeg Jets prospect and netminder Dom DiVincentiis. One night later, they held the OHL’s highest-scoring team, the Soo Greyhounds, to only one goal in a 2-1 victory. All before they shut out the Sudbury Wolves on Sunday in a 4-0 win led by Max Donoso who turned aside all 29 shots he faced. Speaking of the 67’s goalies, Ottawa’s other netminder Collin MacKenzie also had a phenomenal week. Having gone 2-0-0-0 this week with a 1.50 goals-against average, and a .948 save percentage, MacKenzie was named OHL Goaltender of the Week. With a stellar goaltending tandem in Donoso and MacKenzie, the 67’s will aim to extend their winning streak this week when they welcome both the Peterborough Petes and Soo Greyhounds to TD Place in Ottawa.

Games this week: vs. Peterborough (Oct. 20), vs. Soo (Oct. 22)